Review of Ghost (1990) by Stevenf — 10 Aug 2013

What we have in 'Ghost" is a film with many brilliant performances, an interesting, intriguing but often bumpy plot which is often full of unexplained queries and questionable motives, and a romantic burst so powerful and heavy that it has all the makings of a tragic fairytale. Tragic being the most important word here, as Patrick Swayze plays a Sam Wheat, a handsome man with a handsome bank job and a beautiful girlfriend, Molly (Demi Moore). Sam gets shot while out one night with Molly after trying to protect her from a crazed mugger, but Sam succumbs to injury, setting up the rest of the film as Sam attempts to discover why he is still on earth.

Seeking out the help of the reluctant Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), an apparent psychic, and con artist, can here Sam speaking to her. But as we learn more about these characters, particularly Sam's best friend, Karl (Tony Goldwyn), its clear that the death of this man was no accident, something I personally feel took a lot of heart out of the film and turned into an attempted thriller which it didn't need to be. But as the story unfolds, Sam is looking for various ways to convince a grieving Molly that he still around and that she is in danger. The performances are stellar from all four leading characters, but it has to be the hilarious but focused performance of Whoopi Goldberg that needs particular attention. The way she commands the screen and interacts with the other leads is an honour to watch, showing various sides of the character she is portraying several ways and all in the one film is remarkable.

In terms of the story, the dialogue leading up to the tragic event seems to give away what is going to happen anyway if you listen closely, remarking several times about long lives other such things. Also, the appearance of what can only be angels from above and shadows coming from the ground is never really explained, we know the purpose of them, but a more in-depth explanation wouldn't have hurt, especially after the events of the film unfold, it ends up turning into a murder mystery which does become a hindrance on the romantic side of the film, which can't be ignored, there are some truly touching scenes in the film, with Moore and Swayze sharing a believable and heartfelt chemistry.

There are many reasons to see this film, more so for the love story being told, but there are other plot developments going on that do hinder what could have been a more fluid and simple story.